The United States briefly deployed two navy ships to waters near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea following a collision involving Chinese vessels.
The incident, which took place on August 11, involved a Chinese navy ship and a Chinese coast guard vessel colliding while trying to block the Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Suluan.
The Philippine vessel was on a supply mission to assist local fishermen in the area.
On August 13, the US Navy positioned the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins and the littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati roughly 30 nautical miles from the shoal.
A Chinese naval vessel shadowed the US ships during the operation, but no new confrontations were reported.
China’s military later claimed it had tracked and “driven away” the USS Higgins, accusing the US of entering contested waters without permission and jeopardizing stability.
The US Navy rejected the accusation, stating its actions were consistent with international law and aimed at preserving lawful navigation rights in the region.
Tensions escalated further when the Philippines reported a close encounter between a Chinese fighter jet and a Philippine surveillance plane over the shoal.
According to Manila, the Chinese aircraft flew within 200 feet for about 20 minutes while a Chinese warship issued repeated radio warnings.
Scarborough Shoal is claimed by several countries, including China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.
Despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, Beijing continues to assert control over the resource-rich waters.